The Balance of the Force
by Pretia Libertatis
Summary: "There is no Dark Side nor a Light Side. There is only the Force. I will do what I must to keep balance." Posted on AO3 under same title.


**A/N: Expect near regular, albeit non-beta read, updates. This is a canon-divergent _The Force Awakens_ , and follows the plot of the movie until the siege of Maz's Castle on Takodana. End game is Ben Solo/Rey, but this fic is very much slow burn. Like, watching grass grow slow burn. Leave a review if you liked this chapter.**

* * *

Nimble fingers parted the beaded curtain of Lor San Tekka's hut as the two friends entered. Separated by three years and different destinies, Ben and Poe spent their childhoods together. They had kept in contact with one another through the holonet, chatting about their lives and, in Poe's case, recent missions. Ben absently dusted sand from his sleeves as he straightened his brown cloak. Underneath, instead of his traditional Jedi Knight attire, he wore a different outfit. He resembled some of the villagers, the white shirt under his tunic and beige pants giving him protection from the heat of the day and the current cool of the night. His Jedi tunic provided him with extra protection from the sand while the hem hid his lightsaber from view. He pushed the hood off his head as he and Poe sat next to one another, dark eyes studying Lor San Tekka as the older man readied a pot. Apprehension dug at the back of his mind as Ben searched through the Force. He lingered at different signatures, finding from a young age that the signatures of planets held an unshakable promise. His mother's Force signature brushed against his own as he tried to discern her activities. He stayed in the warmth of her presence in the Force before he withdrew, centering himself once more in the hut.

"I trust you both found your way here without difficulty," Lor San Tekka said in greeting as he handed them each a cup of tea.

Ben glanced at Poe and laughed slightly. "Poe's droid almost tripped us a few times, but crossing the village was easy."

Poe shook his head and nudged his friend. "Ben's lying," he said. "He stopped a few times and looked toward the horizon."

The aging man sat across from them and rested his hands on his knees. Ben cautiously met his gaze and exhaled through his nose. The last thing he wanted to do was cause unnecessary panic and, while looking at the stars and the horizon brought him solace and hope, he sensed instability in the Force. Darkness surged in a corner of the Galaxy and he felt the vibrations through the Force. The Dark Side plagued the Skywalker family in more than one way, taunting from the edges of the Force and tempting some of the most powerful Force users in the Galaxy. He remembered conversations with his uncle as he went through the trials. His uncle told Ben that facing temptation was part of the Jedi way, but it was up to him to overcome the temptation he encountered. His uncle knew more about the Force than Ben, even as a Jedi Knight.

Poe's hand on his shoulder brought Ben out of his thoughts and a slightly sheepish look marred his face. A warming presence settled beside him and the sheepish look turned into a faint smile as he pushed a hand through his hair. "Well... something did happen this morning," he said. "I wasn't sure what it meant, and I'm still not sure what it means, but I saw my grandparents early this morning." A short laugh followed his words as color settled on his cheeks. "Actually, I'm fairly certain they're still here."

The elder leaned forward, something akin to surprise on his face. "Padme? She was never a Force user."

"Everything returns to the Force," he said.

Poe whistled. "I knew that part. Yavin was a good place in the Force. I never sensed it, but I remember hearing stories of pilots who sensed things they never could explain."

"If both visited you, there was a reason." Lor San Tekka sipped at his cup of tea and looked over the rim at Ben. "There are troubling times ahead for all of us."

Ben frowned slightly, balling his left hand into a fist as he brushed the fingers of his right hand against hilt of his grandfather's lightsaber. Strange dreams, ones that bordered on prophecies or visions, began the night his first wielded the Skywalker lightsaber. The look he received from his uncle that day was full of immense pride. It was hardly anything Ben expected, so the congratulations he received from his uncle and the Padawans and acolytes at the academy, was something dear to his heart. His brow furrowed as he withdrew himself from his memories and once again looked at Lor San Tekka. Blood of powerful families, including the Force itself, flowed through Ben's veins and he knew better than most that dreams and memories held unspeakable power.

"You were stuck in your head again, Benny," Poe said with a small smile.

Dark eyes glimmered with mirth as he lightly punched his friend's shoulder. Ben and Poe liked spending time with one another, though their interests had shifted since their youth. One interest always remained the same, and that interest was a specific freighter. Ben's favorite ship, especially during his youth, was his father's _Millennium Falcon_. He spent months aboard the _Falcon_ , entranced and enthralled with his father's work. There were dangerous situations involved, situations his mother never knew about, but that just made the time he managed to spend with his father more enjoyable. He more than once tried his hand with flying an X-wing, but he found himself at home aboard the _Falcon_. He piloted the ship with ease until his parents decided it was time for him to study with his uncle.

"Ben," Lor San Tekka said, bringing Ben out of his thoughts. "Do you remember your training?"

Confused, the Jedi Knight gave a short not. "It's not easy to forget training, not after you complete the trials."

The old man laughed and dug through a pouch in his hands before he pulled out a small object. The object, blue in color, looked no larger than the kyber crystal contained within Ben's lightsaber. "This contains a piece of a map that leads to Luke Skywalker," he said. "I don't know where the rest of the map is, or if it exists, but Luke is currently safe."

Ben sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He needed to hear good news, and nothing was better than learning that his uncle was safe. He watched with near rapt attention as Lor San Tekka passed the object to Poe. Ben searched through the Force with no clear goal, half paying attention to Poe and Lor San Tekka. He liked the touch of the Galaxy as people moved through space and systems. There was a song in the Galaxy, each chord and note connected through the Force and each person. Dark energy approached with a ferocity that constructed his chest, engulfing the light in an instant and threatening to darken every system in the Galaxy. He swallowed past a growing lump in his throat and he sucked in a breath as Poe's trusted astromech beeped in quick alarm.

"We _can't_ be together, Poe," Ben said. "We need to get as far away from one another, and that map needs to be kept safe." He shook his head, a small laugh bubbling up past his working jaw. "If the Darksiders have one Skywalker, the Galaxy remains safe. As soon as two Skywalkers are under their control, the Galaxy is in grave danger."

Poe screwed up his face and, in spite of the tension, barked a short laugh. "Jeez, Ben, your family screws up the Galaxy as much as it helps."

Ben's muscles tensed and he readied an escape before Poe cleared his throat and accepted a bag from Lor San Tekka. A dark brow quirked as Poe passed the bag to Ben. He opened it and something caught in his chest. "The general gave me that before I left for the planet," he said. "She knew you would have a use for it sooner rather than later."

Swallowing, he nodded and moved to the back of the hut before he quickly shed his large cloak. His tunic joined the cloak before he quickly shed his boots, pulling the tan pants off his legs before he changed into the pants Poe had given him. His lightsaber found place in a blaster pocket as Ben hurriedly put the jacket on. The scent that reminded him of his father tickled his nose and his chest tightened before he sighed. He dug through the bag out of curiosity, finding familiar pieces of a starfighter. Ben breathed through his nose, folded up his tunic, and tucked it in the bag before he put his cloak over his shoulders.

 _"While robes hardly make a Jedi, Ben, you're going above and beyond the call of a Jedi,"_ his grandfather said, Anakin's voice a comfort in Ben's mind.

He hefted the bag over his shoulder and rejoined Poe and Lor San Tekka near the front of the hut. "Make your way to Niima Outpost," the latter said. "Your bag contains parts of the _Mirrorbright_ , your mother's fighter, so you can barter for portions. Once you get to the outpost, find a way off the planet. It doesn't matter where you go, but you need to get to safety."

Ben looked between Poe and BB-8 before he nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised, but this is moving quickly." Ben's voice held a mixture of emotions and he clapped Poe on his shoulder before he inclined his head to Lor San Tekka. He hesitated before he walked out of the hut, dark eyes searching the sky as he faintly picked out nearing lights. His heart set to thudding in his chest as a mixture of excitement an anticipation roiled under his skin.

"Ben, may the Force be with you," Lor San Tekka said, the words bringing a smile to the corners of the Jedi Knight's mouth.

He inclined his head again and turned to face the elder man. "May the Force be with you as well."

Ben pulled the hood up over his dark hair, wrapping one end of it over his nose and mouth to protect his face from blowing sand. He turned on his heel and walked away from the hut and across the village. He hastened out of the village as a foreboding presence reached him through the Force. The shiver that worked its way to the base of his spine only pushed him further from the village, making him ever wary of the encroaching darkness.


End file.
